Cape Verde cocaine smugglers sentenced

From the extreme comfort of its newly-built five star hotels, the Cape Verde islands off Africa's west coast are like paradise. The archipelago 600 miles into the Atlantic is 'Africa's best kept little secret'. The region's other little secret is the presence of international drug cartels.

The islands lie along the Tenth Parallel – a line of latitude called 'Highway 10' because it marks the shortest route between Latin America and Africa.

Cape Verde is a place to refuel ships, warehouse product, and pass it on for the final haul to Britain and Europe. Exactly how much product is coming down Highway 10 became clear in February 2019, when 10 tonnes of cocaine were found on the Eser, a freighter docked at Cape Verde. It is the biggest haul of European-bound cocaine in history. The Russian captain and crew were found guilty of drug trafficking and sentenced to jail. Captain Sergei Kotlovskii said during the trial he was forced to take the drugs aboard in the Caribbean by the ship’s owner. Kotlovskii got 12 years for international drug trafficking. The rest of the crew got 10 years for the same crime.

Rapper Solo 45 one sick puppy

Grime rapper Solo 45, (Andy Anokye) was found guilty of 30 charges in Bristol Crown court. He was convicted after a 4 month trial after he assaulted, tortured and threatened to kill four women whom he imprisoned and sexually assaulted. Prosecutors say Anokye is a violent narcissist and bully who takes pleasure in inflicting pain.

Bronx council member Mark Gjonaj subpoenaed

Mark Gjonaj is a scandal-plagued Bronx city councilman who has ties with a law firm that helped bring the Hells Angels to his district even as his staff attorney was compelled to resign over the deal. Gjonaj recently hired attorney John Parker, who represented the Hells Angels, to oppose a homeless shelter the city wants to build. Gjonaj’s staff attorney Edmond Pryor represented the HA in the $1.5m deal for the clubhouse in Throggs Neck. Following a shooting at the property and an outcry from residents, Pryor resigned from the councilman’s office.

In a bizarre twist, Gjonaj claimed Parker doesn't work for Pryor, though documents list Parker as a member of Pryor’s firm.

John “Smiley” Simonlacaj plead guilty to charges of tax fraud and wire fraud conspiracy.

Gjonaj has a long list of scandals. Gjonaj accepted thousands in donations from two affiliates of the Gambinos, cousins Mark “Chippy” Kocaj and John “Smiley” Simonlacaj. Gjonaj received a $11k donation from people related to a project he endorsed even as it was rejected by two community boards. Gjonaj paid over $20k of his office budget to businesses connected to his campaign donors. In October 2018, it was discovered that Gjonaj was using campaign funds to fund a lawsuit against the city.

The suit alleges that the Bronx borough is overburdened with homeless shelters and mental health facilities.

In July 2018, the councilman attempted to give $130k of taxpayer money to the Albanian-American Community Association which he is said to have co-founded. Mark Gjonaj also tried to do away with speed cameras. He introduced failed legislation to replace ticket-issuing city speed cameras with warning signs, probably because he had nine citations issued to his black Audi between Jan. 3, 2019, and Nov. 1, 2019 for zooming through school zones. MGjonaj@council.nyc.gov See ----->Neighbours not impressed with new NY HA Clubhouse - Shots Fired

Triad gangster dons goggles, mask and hazmat suit - sentenced to death

Triad gang leader Huang Hongfa was covered from head-to-toe to prevent any spread of coronavirus as he and his henchmen appeared before a court in Hainan Province. He was at the head of a 200-strong mafia-style organization which ruled for decades across parts of the country. Hongfa had earlier been found guilty of 17 charges. His death sentence was upheld by the court. Hongfa's gang was made up of his family members as well as close relatives from the Huang clan.

Mosow's former top cop off to jail - 'Young Shakro' case

Alexander Drymanov, the former director of Moscow's Investigative Committee, has been sentenced to 12 years and fined 196m rubles ($2.5m) for receiving a bribe from gangster Zakhary Kalashov 'Young Shakro'. Drymanov and his subordinates accepted the bribe in exchange for trying to release one of Kalashov’s henchmen, Andrey 'the Italian' Kochuikov.

The case made headlines in 2019 when cops raided the Moscow newsroom of the media outlet Rosbalt. The raid was connected to a defamation lawsuit by billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who won a different defamation case against a website that claimed he has ties to Kalashov. Alisher Usmanov has an estimated net worth of $13 billion and has intimate ties to Putin.

Maintaining his innocence, Drymanov complained during the trial that the FSB agents who searched his home mocked him during the raid and drank his cognac.

Peterborough carfentanil dealer Kyle Gozzard = 7 years

Kyle Gozzard, 27, pleaded guilty to trafficking carfentanil and cocaine in November and received a custodial sentence of seven years. Cops seized $138k in cash, nearly a kilogram of cocaine and three ounces of carfentanil. There have been 26 overdose deaths reported in Peterborough this year.

Gozzard wasn't impressed with his six months in jail for trafficking cocaine and violating his bail in 2015. Back then, while on probation, he was busted with 168 grams of cocaine and $2,744.35 in cash. A significant custodial sentence for the protection of the public ought not surprise. Rehabilitation didn't work for Gozzard and 3 ounces of carfentanil is a huge amount.

HA Pascal Facchino going to big house for 8 years

Hells Angels Pascal Facchino was sentenced to eight years in prison Wednesday at the Montreal courthouse. Facchino's assistants, Dany Couillard and Denis Savoie, were sentenced to 52 months and five years in penitentiary. Facchino aimed to sell three kilograms of cocaine per month. Facchino was routing $ 10,000 per month tax to fellow Trois-Rivières Hells Angels Claude Gauthier, who was the "owner" of the territory.

Pascal Facchino

Facchino, Gauthier, and six others were arrested in April 2019.

See ----->33 arrested in Quebec drug bust targeting HA

Instafamous Oz fitness model busted

Sarah Rutherford, 29, has been charged for her alleged role in a 'dial-a-dope' operation. Cops raided Rutherford's Sydney home and found mobile phones, cocaine, and drug paraphernalia.

Giorgio Barresi whacked in driveway

Pat Musitano was among those initially charged in connection with the betting ring, but his charges were withdrawn.

42-year-old Giorgio Barresi was shot and killed in his driveway Monday night. His is a name familiar to those who follow the Musitano crime family. Barresi pleaded guilty to bookmaking in 1999, along with seven others.

The hit occurred at 10:45 p.m. and Barresi died in his driveway of multiple gunshot wounds. The fact he was gunned down in front of his house does not automatically mean a mob hit, but it is possible. The pattern follows recent deaths where the victims were linked to organized crime and the killing sends a message in an ongoing power struggle. To kill a man in front of his family is sending a message that death can come at any time and any place.

Albert Iavarone was shot by someone who waited in the bushes until he returned home on September 13, 2018. Cece Luppino was killed at a Hamilton home owned by his father in January 2019. All 3 men were realtors. A source in the criminal underworld says the real estate business is “an easy way to clean up your image with banks and police. Now those large deposits and withdrawals don’t get noticed because you’re doing real estate deals.”

See ----->Albert Iavarone whacked in Hamilton
See ----->Cece Luppino whacked in Hamilton

Facial recognition technology sinks rapper Tankhead666

Facial recognition software quickly identified and tracked Walker, who has a “Death Before Dishonor” tattoo on his forehead. U.S. Marshals agents were waiting for Walker at the airport in Columbus, Ohio. He spent his 28th birthday behind bars.

Lynwood Walker III, better known as rapper Tankhead666, is in jail facing charges in a fatal shooting in Miami’s Wynwood neighborhood. AI helped detectives find him.

Canadians nailed importing 16 kg liquid meth to Australia

A 27-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman flew to Melbourne from Vancouver where Australian Border Force officers found four one-kilogram packages of methamphetamine inside each of their four suitcases, for a total seizure of 16 kilos. AFP charged the pair with importation of a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and two counts of possessing a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug. The maximum penalty is life in prison. Last week, a 26-year-old dual national of Canada and France was charged with importing about $15m worth of meth from Mexico into Australia concealed in a shipment of silver concentrate.

London Gangs - N17 versus N22

After a video of an attack on one of the UK's biggest rap stars went viral, three were murdered in the London borough of Haringey over the next 10 weeks. Rival gangs in Wood Green and Tottenham have escalated tit-for-tat attacks. These are filmed and posted on Snapchat and YouTube. Headie One (Irving Adjei) is a drill rapper from Tottenham. His video 'Know Better' has been viewed 9m times. He was attacked by gang rivals and filmed. Drill rap originated in Chicago in the early 2010s. It is defined by violent, nihilistic lyrics calling out gangsters.

The way that UK drill rap is spread on social media is leading some to believe that drill isn't reflecting criminality, but driving it.

HA Joseph Lancia can't 'keep the peace'

The Rhode Island chapter boss of the Hells Angels mc will remain behind bars after failing to “keep the peace” while out on bail. Joseph Lancia, 28, will be locked up for the duration after being arrested over the weekend for a scuffle at a strip club. He punched the bouncer of the Cadillac Lounge in the face. Lancia violated the conditions of his bail in charges from June, when he shot at a former prospect driving by the Hells Angels Providence clubhouse.

Lancia is facing multiple felony counts including intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, discharging a firearm while committing a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a permit. Lancia claims the victim is a police informant, made threats, and he is being framed. Lancia is held without bail.

See ----->Shooting at Hells Angels Clubhouse in Providence

Poland's 'Most Beautiful Gangster' Magdalena Kralka arrested

Magdalena Kralka, dubbed the most beautiful gangster in Poland, has been arrested in Slovakia. She was hiding in the trunk of a car that had entered Slovakia from Hungary when she was detained. She is wanted in Poland for leading a group that imported more than 120kg of cocaine. The gang, based in Krakow, operated as a wholesaler for drug dealers throughout the country. Kralka will be returned to Poland where she faces multiple charges of drug trafficking.

The operation was said to move 1.5m euros worth of coke every month to southern Poland from Holland and Spain.

Bodycam footage of ‘ER’ actress’ death

Police have released startling bodycam footage of the moments leading up to the death of actress Vanessa Marquez. Cops were called to her cluttered Los Angeles home in 2018 after the landlord requested a welfare check. Marquez suffered from mental illness.

3 London Ont HA nailed in drug bust

Full patch Joseph Stokes, 39, Frank Strauss, 44, and John Bohnsack, 40 are among 10 charged. 1.6 kilograms of cocaine, crack, 3 cocaine presses, body armour and $62k in cash was seized.

Stokes and Bohnsack are charged with possessing drugs for trafficking. Bohnsack also faces two counts of possessing cannabis for distribution and single counts of possessing a prohibited weapon and conspiring to commit an indictable offence. Strauss is charged with two counts of possessing drugs for trafficking and possessing marijuana for distribution. The arrests mark the third time in a about a year that the dozen odd London Hells Angels members have been busted.

Chapter founder Robert Barletta, 50, was arrested on Dec. 13, 2019 for a massive illegal sports book. In January 2019, Sean Burger, 48, was arrested for drugs and weapons.
See ----->London HA Sean Burger busted
See ----->Robert Barletta bail hearing.

City Girls' JT out of the slammer

City Girls member JT (Jatavia Shakara Johnson) is tasting freedom after being locked up at the Miami Federal Detention Center since June 2018 on fraud charges.

Windsor pharmacist John Gerges - Opioid Dealer

Windsor pharmacist John Gerges is one of six people charged in connection to an opioid trafficking ring in Toronto. Gerges, who operates the Olde Walkerville Pharmacy, was one of two pharmacists connected to the ring. Gerges is charged with three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and possession of a forged document.

Gerges has a history of misconduct.

Cops seized more than $500k worth of opioids, a firearm and more than $220k in cash.

Thai death sentence stands for HA Luke Joshua Cook

Thailand has upheld the conviction and death sentence of Australian Luke Joshua Cook, his Thai wife Kanyarat Wediphitak and a Californian man, Tyler Gerard.

The three were arrested in December 2017 for the failed importation of 500kg of meth into Thailand using the yacht 'Jomandy'. The operation was under senior Hells Angels Wayne Rodney Schneider, who was murdered in Thailand. In December 2015, Cook and Gerard were arrested and pleaded guilty to the abduction, death and burial of Schneider. Antonio Bagnato was also arrested, but he denied the charges and was ultimately sentenced to three years. Thai officials call Cook and his wife con artists and liars, citing the couple’s claim that they never had any dealings or contact with the Hells Angels.

See ----->HA, Thai wife given death penalty for half tonne of Meth